Disney & Netflix Make Major Marvel TV Plans

There was talk a few weeks back about Marvel Television shopping around a package of four live-action drama series and a miniseries to various VOD and cable services.

Today, Disney has unveiled the nature of those plans in an official press release – the result being a far grander idea than you might expect, one that follows their film strategy fairly closely and puts “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” to shame in many ways.

Disney have confirmed that the four series will premiere on streaming service Netflix starting in 2015 and will unfold over multiple years. Marvel will develop the four serialized programs, each with a minimum of thirteen episodes each, which will lead to “a miniseries programming event”.

What are those four series? “Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones,” “Iron Fist” and “Luke Cage”. This will all culminate in Marvel’s mini-series event “The Defenders” which reimagines a dream team of self-sacrificing, heroic characters around New York’s Hell’s Kitchen.

Marvel Television and ABC Television Studios will produce. Marvel Entertainment president Alan Fine says:

“This deal is unparalleled in its scope and size, and reinforces our commitment to deliver Marvel’s brand, content and characters across all platforms of storytelling. Netflix offers an incredible platform for the kind of rich storytelling that is Marvel’s specialty. This serialized epic expands the narrative possibilities of on-demand television and gives fans the flexibility to immerse themselves how and when they want in what’s sure to be a thrilling and engaging adventure.”